Spicy Octopus Rose Penne (Octopus Penne in Rose Sauce)
Quick answer
Spicy octopus rose penne starts with pre-cooked octopus that is seared in a very hot, dry pan to burn off surface moisture and trigger a Maillard crust on the skin.
What makes this special
- Maillard-crusted octopus meets a spicy tomato and cream rose sauce and penne.
- Pre-cooked octopus seared hard to trigger Maillard reaction and eliminate fishiness
- Gochugaru bloomed in oil first to extract maximum color and heat
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Cook 180g penne in salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package time.
- 2 Cut 200g cooked octopus into bite-sized pieces (2-3cm).
- 3 Heat 1.5 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over high heat until very hot.
Spicy octopus rose penne starts with pre-cooked octopus that is seared in a very hot, dry pan to burn off surface moisture and trigger a Maillard crust on the skin. This step does more than remove water - it eliminates any residual fishiness and builds a firm outer layer that contrasts with the tender interior when you bite through. The rose sauce is built from tomato passata and heavy cream spiked with Korean gochugaru. The chili flakes are bloomed in oil for no more than 20 seconds, enough to coax out heat and color but not long enough to develop bitterness. Butter is added to the finished sauce to encourage emulsification, keeping the cream and tomato components cohesive and allowing the mixture to coat each piece of pasta evenly rather than pooling at the bottom of the pan. Penne holds this sauce particularly well because its tubular shape captures the thick liquid inside each piece, delivering cream and spice simultaneously with every bite. Fresh basil is stirred in off the heat at the very end, its volatile aromatics intact, providing an herbal lift that cuts the heaviness of the cream base. The natural salinity and sweetness of octopus from the sea add a briny depth that cream-only sauces cannot replicate on their own.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Finish
Cook 180g penne in salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package time.
Reserve 150ml pasta water.
- 2Heat
Cut 200g cooked octopus into bite-sized pieces (2-3cm).
Pat completely dry with paper towels to ensure a proper sear.
- 3Control
Heat 1.5 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over high heat until very hot.
Sear the octopus without moving for 1 minute 30 seconds, then remove.
- 4Heat
In the same pan saute 70g diced onion and 2 sliced garlic cloves until softened.
Add 1 tablespoon gochugaru and stir-fry for 20 seconds to bloom.
- 5Control
Add 220ml tomato passata and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add 120ml heavy cream and 15g butter to form the rose sauce.
- 6Season
Add the cooked penne and seared octopus to the sauce.
Toss for 1 minute, adding pasta water to adjust consistency.
- 7Finish
Turn off the heat, tear 5g basil into the pan and let the residual heat draw out the fragrance.
Plate and serve immediately.
After the steps
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